Son of a Preacher Man
by LotharWinchester
Summary: Hancock asks Sole for a favor and is impressed with the results
"John," Nora huffed as Hancock slid onto the bar stool next to her, "You can't be serious."

"Doll, you'd be doing me a huge favor." Hancock paid for her drink before she could protest. "Magnolia's lost her voice and Charlie here," he motioned to Whitechapel Charlie who muttered behind the bar, " _Needs_ some entertainment for the people."

Nora sighed into her glass and regretted telling Hancock about her bar karaoke and paid singing gigs. _It had been on this same damn stool too…_

"I only did it to put myself through school." Charlie refilled her glass without her asking him to. _Bless you, Charlie._ "I have Brotherhood work to do, John." She turned the glass upside down on the counter once she found a semi clean rag. Although the Third Rail was pretty much a dump, Nora respected Charlie and wanted to keep the place as clean as possible.

"I'll never understand why you joined up with them, Dollface." Hancock muttered as he made a move to stand. The mayor knew it was a low blow considering he had listened to everything the smoothskin woman in front of him had said about her past. How she'd emerged from Vault 111 alone, widowed, and childless with no concept of how this world, _his world_ , worked. He knew she was using the Brotherhood as a means to get into the Institute and her baby. His disdain had more to do with the fact that the Tin Can Danse and now it seemed the highly influential Elder of the Brotherhood had caught her eye. Something he rarely admitted, even to himself, he wanted.

She was a prewar bombshell, pinup girl worthy, with her flowing long hair and vibrant eyes. And her _curves_. He couldn't go down that path or he'd be in even deeper than he'd ever want to admit. He thought back to his on and off again hired gun that was probably staring at them right now.

Maccready had made it very obvious to everyone in town how he felt about this woman. He'd never been bargained down on his price for a job until she came along. He followed her to the end of the Commonwealth and back with a pack full of her junk to help _god knows_ how many settlements she'd established with the Minutemen. The sniper had even joined her on the Bobbi No-Nose job and damn near idolized Nora for killing the ghoul woman. Poor son of a bitch never knew what hit him.

"Besides," He swallowed as she shifted towards him, "It seems I don't have my go to song anymore." Nora smirked down at him with her hand on his shoulder. _Fuck_. He couldn't wait to take another hit of Jet. "I think I have the last holotape of it."

"Well Sunshine," Hancock stayed seated as he pushed his tri corn hat up a little off of his forehead to tilt it back, "Looks like you've been holdin out on all of us. Travis would have a heart attack over potential new material like that."

He knew he'd said something wrong as Nora's slender fingers drew away from his shoulder. He cursed himself for putting that all too familiar haunted expression on her face. Nate Sharpe, by everything he'd heard about the man, was the typical prewar All- American military husband that had retired to stay with his family. Hancock recalled something about him being a medic in training added onto all of that.

"It was our song." Nora bit her plump lip and looked to Charlie who had reached over at that moment to take her glass away. She thanked him with a nod as he gave her a free refill and waited until she chugged it down to take the glass back. "Actually," she chuckled and moved to stand next to Hancock, "It was how we first met."

"I'm sorry." His apology surprised them both and he gently took her hand in his. He could feel Maccready's eyes boring into him as he kissed Nora's hand and let to drop back to her side. "Stay safe out there, alright?"

"John, you asked for a favor." His dark eyes widened as she hesitantly handed Charlie a holotape. "Charlie, can you copy this?"

"Yes, Miss Nora." Hancock almost smirked at the Mr. Handy's woozy tone. _This woman even has that cold bastard in the palm of her hands._ "I can make one like I did for Miss Magnolia as well."

"Thank you Charlie." Her smile never made it to her eyes as Charlie floated off. "Can I have a few minutes to change?"

Hancock took in her blood spattered armor plating that covered her still vibrant vault suit. She looked stunning in anything and everything he'd seen her in. He nodded and took in the dirty hands that held a small package out to her.

"Thank you for asking Charlie to keep this here for me, Rob." Hancock had never seen the kid blush but the shades of pink and red that surfaced on his face had the mayor shaking his head. Nora had kissed him on the cheek and by the look on the kid's face; you'd think she'd given him all of the caps in the Commonwealth.

Maxson was unimpressed that his Knight spent all of her free time in this… town instead of staying on the Prydwen with her fellow soldiers. He'd traded out his signature coat and uniform for a pair of black jeans and a flannel button shirt with a hidden knife. He was well aware of Goodneighbor's policies. He'd changed in the vertibird he'd taken with Danse and the Paladin made sure the two Knights with them said nothing.

It had been a challenge to find civilian clothes that fit him. Nora had made the off handed comment about what the Brotherhood had fed him more than once in the year he'd known her. He'd started shaving much to the shock of his fellow officers and Paladin Danse was the only one to put two and two together. They had spent most of the last seven or so years together advancing in the Brotherhood ranks. Danse had only seen Arthur this conflicted when he'd seen one of Arthur's old terminal entries about the former Elder Sarah Lyons. He knew then what had plagued the Elder since he'd brought Knight Sharpe aboard. He backed Arthur's story about this being an undercover op to the rest of the Prydwen higher ups. He wanted Arthur to be happy.

Danse waited, without question, as Arthur made his way through the streets of Goodneighbor to the bar that was all too familiar to Danse. The Third Rail patrons greeted him with slightly shocked murmurs of how he wasn't in his Brotherhood attire. Even Maccready acknowledged the both of them and their subtle attire.

Hancock smirked at Danse and gripped his shoulder once he'd sat down beside the ghoul. "Danse, this is a surprise." He chuckled as he motioned to the stage. "You here to see the show?"

Maxson sat beside Danse and passed several drinks along the table. He knew he had to concede to snuff out his anti- ghoul and synth policy here long enough to see Nora. He was slightly defeated at the fact she wasn't here yet. He tried to recall the name of the singer he'd heard on Nora's Pip-boy radio, "Magnolia?"

Hancock chuckled into his drink and set it down. He knew who Maxson was as soon as he'd walked in with Danse. "On any other day, yes." Hancock had to fight to keep his lips from forming a sly smirk. "But tonight, Charlie's got a special guest singer."

Charlie hovered over to their table and refilled their drinks. He knew anyone sitting at the mayor's table had to be important and they'd done this ruse more than once before. He left just as the stage lights dimmed.

Maxson's blue eyes strained slightly as they adjusted to light. Several of the bar's male clientele started whistling as the lights came back up and a recorded piano started to play. The Elder of the Brotherhood nearly choked on his drink as the guest singer stepped closer to the microphone on her tiny stage.

She was a vision in her black sequined dress that hugged all of her curves. Arthur swallowed thickly and missed Hancock's open laugh of his shocked expression.

After a slight adjustment to her nervous voice, Nora started to sing, _" Billy-Ray was a preacher's son, and when his daddy would visit he'd come along."_

 _This boy is built like a brick shithouse. No wonder why Nora keeps going back._ Hancock watched as the younger man's muscles strained against the fabric of his shirt. _Shit, is this the guy she was talking about?!_ The mayor stopped smiling at the memory of the heart-broken Nora who had cried on his shoulder. _He used me, John. I thought he was…. I… He got everything he wanted._

" _When they gathered round and started talkin', that's when Billy would take me walkin'"_

He watched as Maxson nervously tapped his fingers along his glass, still ignoring him and Danse all while not taking a sip. Hancock glanced over to Maccready at the bar and noticed the other boy nearly mirrored Maxson's position but his gaze differed. Where Maxson's had more of a carnal lust with a glimpse of love, Maccready's eyes held nothing but adoration and love. Hancock knew which one he was rooting for at that moment.

" _A-through the backyard we'd go walkin', Then he'd look into my eyes.."_ Nora's eyes met Maxson's briefly before she started to sway with the accompanying music. _"Lord knows to my surprise, the only one who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man…"_ Hancock swallowed his own growing feelings and Danse turned to him after doing the same. Arthur now downed the drink and placed the glass on the tiny table by their feet.

Nora flicked her long hair back over her shoulder with one hand and gripped the microphone with the other, _"The only boy who could ever teach me, was the son of a preacher man…"_

Maccready finished his drink and laid the caps out on the counter for Charlie before he moved from his bar stool to one of the ripped cushioned chairs that had been moved for this performance. He was now the closest to Nora and Hancock could tell Maxson did _not_ like that. He wouldn't get up, however, knowing the honor it was to sit at the mayor's table. Hancock was glad his near shit eating grin went unnoticed. _Glad to cock block for ya, Dollface._

" _Being good isn't always easy, no matter how hard I try,"_ Hancock nodded as Maccready shifted in the chair and met Nora's gaze. _"When he started sweet-talkin' to me, he'd come and tell me everything is all right.."_

Everyone's eyes, including Maccready's narrowed down to the cleavage that was nearly spilling out of her dress as she slightly bent towards him, _"He'd kiss and tell me everything was all right,"_ She winked down at the _very_ flustered sniper father and walked the four or so steps back to center stage.

Maxson's glass cracked under his tight grip. Danse lit three cigarettes and handed them to the men beside him. He felt bad for Arthur but knew he'd done plenty of things in his attempt to win Nora over that were… they'd had the opposite effect.

Hancock reached back and gave Charlie several caps for the glass and took the ashtray the robot held out to him. It was well worth it.

Nora crooned and swayed as Hancock realized how much more comfortable she was. No one else knew how much she was sharing, how much of a gift this truly was.

" _How well I remember, The Look that was in his eyes, Stealin' kisses from me on the sly,"_ Nora's soft eyes continued to draw towards Maccready. _"Tellin' me that he's all mine, Learnin' from each other's knowing…"_ Maccready tried to keep an air of professionalism between them by covering the slight bulge in his pants with his duster. _"Lookin to see how much we've grown..."_

Danse exhaled and watched as the smoke lingered with the light trails coming from Arthur and Hancock's cigarettes. There was something in Nora's posture and in her voice that had his thoughts drifting to her late husband. She had told him they met in one of Boston's many bars through a mutual friend but not much else.

As she slipped into the chorus, Nora remembered the look Nate had given her on that St. Partick's Day so long ago while surrounded with corny green decorations. How he'd tried to play it cool when she'd finally made her way over to him and introduced herself.

She knew he didn't know it but Maccready had looked at her the exact same way Nate had. That he was everything she wanted now in this nuclear fallout induced land.

Nora barely heard all of the whistling and banging as she hurriedly exited the stage. She hoped Maccready would hang around so she could tell him everything she'd wanted to say for the last six months.


End file.
